Crime & Safety
Arsonist Started Sunday's Mtn. View House Fire, AND STOLE Homeowners' Car, Police Say
Keep an eye out for the reportedly stolen 2003 Audi A4, with California license plate 5HJM491.
A two-alarm fire that damaged a single-family home in Mountain View early Sunday morning was deliberately set by a suspect who also stole a car from the residence, police said today.
A suspect started the fire from inside the home while the residents were not there, then drove away in the property owner's light blue 2003 Audi A4, police Mountain View Police Department Sgt. Saul Jaeger said.
The Mountain View fire and police departments responded to a report of the house fire at 2:18 a.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of Fordham Way, police said.
The fire was extinguished about an hour later by the Mountain View Fire Department -- with assistance from the Palo Alto Fire Department, Santa Clara County Fire and the Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley -- and did not spread to other homes. No one was injured, according to police.
The fire and police departments conducted a joint investigation and determined that the cause of the blaze was arson, Jaeger said.
The Santa Clara County Fire Investigation Task Force and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Mountain View police with the investigation, Jaeger said.
Police are searching for the suspect and the 2003 Audi A4, which has California license plate No. 5HJM491, he said.
Anyone who sees the car should call 911 or Mountain View police at (650) 903-6395 and refer to case No. 14-1411. Anonymous tips can also be sent by text message to 274637.
Vehicle likeness can be viewed here.
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